Latent Power
by CoverofThunder
Summary: Midoriya had a latent quirk, causing One For All to activate strangely and release a different kind of power. Because of this his entry exam turns out a bit differently than expected.


It started with grim realism, to tell that green-haired teen that he couldn't be a hero, not without powers at least. As much as All Might had wanted to tell this boy that he could in fact be a hero, he couldn't. As a hero he wouldn't needlessly endanger anyone. As someone who understood what the teen was going through he wouldn't give him false hope. He could be a cop he'd said. At least then he could still transport the villains to their jail. It was an honorable profession.

It was then shame and self-loathing. The teen that All Might had spoken to earlier had gone and done what not even the heroes present were doing. He'd thrown all preconceptions about himself out the window and did something All Might would've never expected. He'd jumped knowingly and willingly into harm's way to try and save a fellow man. Yet there All Might was, standing in the back doing nothing. It was at that moment he'd made a decision regarding the teen, but first he went and saved them both.

Hope came next. Hope that as he explained to the teen the secrets of his powers, this quirkless teen would accept his offer. That he would pick up All Might's torch and become the next bearer of One For All. All Might beamed when the offer was immediately accepted, just as expected from someone worthy of being a hero. He finally remembered to ask for this boy's name.

Pride was because of training. The now-named Midoriya was the greatest protege All Might could have hoped for. He'd done everything asked of him and more, exceeding limits and boundaries set for him with an undaunted determination. When the time came -albeit abruptly- All Might could truthfully say that he believed Midoriya was a suitable vessel for One For All. Midoriya also needed to increase his strength as was only barely strong enough to contain All for One.

Finally, it was relief that Midoriya made it to the entry exams. Midoriya didn't have enough time to experiment with it but All Might knew that he'd succeed. As the exam continued on All Might had known no villain points would be scored. He was relying on Midoriya's passion to become a true hero. He'd flipped the switch and activated the zero point enemy. The zero point robot made its entrance and caused everyone to run. Whether it was because of its point value or the rule to avoid it he didn't know. All that mattered now was what Midoriya would do next.

Now here All Might stood, watching the Area B monitors closely. The giant robot attacked, trapping a female student partially under the rubble. This was the moment where Midoriya could prove himself!

* * *

Everyone had begun exiting the building, watching their respective ID cards to check which bus they needed to load onto. The situation, rather than being tense, was charged with excitement and confident emotions. Everyone here knew what they were up against, but was also prepared for it ahead of time. This was the hero course after all. The applicants were expected to have strong quirks at the ready and do whatever it took during the exam to get in, all being confident in their abilities. Except for one.

Midoriya Izuku looked down at his card, scanning over it again to be sure it said Area B. While he knew he wouldn't actually forget since leaving the lecture hall, he couldn't help but check anyways. This also gave him an excuse to avoid the looks and stares of fellow applicants since he was called out for fidgeting minutes before. Whether it was good or bad he'd managed to be one of the first ones out of the building and made his way towards the buses. Behind him the watchful eyes of other applicants following him to see which one he boarded.

Spotting Area B's bus -the large sign on the front stating its soon-to-be destination- Midoriya boarded and looked for a seat. Not wanting anyone to see how nervous he was, or how frightened he was of them, he chose a seat in the farthest back corner of the bus facing the street and looked out the window on the left. Within seconds other applicants began loading on as well each with their own quirks and ideas for the exam, each making Midoriya and more nervous about it. Even with One For All this was still a lot of other people. As the other applicants boarded, the ones coming near him made certain to eye him at least for a moment. Lost in thought he didn't realize someone sat next to until they introduced themselves.

"Hi, Ashido Mina!" The female voice cheerfully began. "Can't believe you were talking during the introduction! You really must think the exam's going to be easy." The sound that came out of Midoriya was less of a scream and more of a frightened, high-pitched squeal, any higher and no one would've heard it. Luckily, his throat caught so it was only heard for less than a second, the few who heard it thinking it was the brakes of the bus releasing. Turning around, Midoriya noticed that person was still looking at him, waiting for a response. He realized it was a girl… Talking to him... Not noticing what exactly he was doing, Midoriya merely gawked at her, mouth slightly ajar. After around ten or so seconds of silence from him Ashido decided to take the initiative and waved her hand in front his face. "Hello? Anyone in there?" She snapped her fingers a couple of times. "Earth to curly boy!" Ashido laughed as she spoke.

Startled out of his frozen state Midoriya finally responded, his face red. "H-hello, M-Midoriya Izuku. Nice t-to m-meet you Ashido-san." If Ashido hadn't noticed he was nervous before she would now. "You s-startled me. Wasn't e-expecting someone t-to start a conversation." Midoriya scratched the back of his head, rifling through his own hair in an attempt to distract himself from the lackluster answer he gave her.

"Sorry then." Ashido laughed. " I tend to have that effect on people sometimes." She kept her smile as she looked at him more thoroughly. While he had almost equally curly hair, his was green compared to her pink. His eyes -which were a deep green- looked at her curiously, as if he wasn't used to this kind of introduction. "So what's your quirk anyways? If you're that confident it's gotta be a good one!"

Midoriya's face adopted a look of anxiety as he answered. "It's j-just a strength enhancement q-quirk that's it." The way he responded reminded Ashido of someone who was purposefully trying to be humble out of respect for their quirk. While she found it amusing, she was still very curious about it. This was the first time she'd run into someone who had an enhancement type quirk. She wasn't going to let this chance pass her by. The bus suddenly jerked forward, beginning the journey and causing them a brief pause before she began asking again.

"C'mon that can't be _just_ an enhancement type. How strong is it? Is it your whole body? Just your arms? Legs? Is it just always active or do you need to concentrate? You look pretty plain for a strength quirk user." As the flurry of questions started, Midoriya figured he should stop Ashido before she got too far. Reminding himself that One For All was in fact a secret he decided to give her a more general answer.

"Well it's pretty strong but I wouldn't say it's that good." he shyly replied. "I haven't been able to control it very well either even now." Ashido stared at him for several moments after he finished his answer. Seemingly satisfied with his answer Ashido nodded to herself. Deciding they needed a change of topic he decided to ask her a question. "S-since I told you about my quirk, what's yours?"

"Check this out!" Ashido cupped her right hand and put it between them so that Midoriya could see properly. White liquid began forming and collecting in her palm. After a small amount was collected -about the size of a coin- Ashido let it drop into the space between them. The moment the thick liquid hit the floor of the bus it immediately started steaming, having begun melting the flooring. Being seated in the back had the advantage that no one else would have seen the quick quirk display. "I can make stronger versions but that's harder for me to do." With a quirk as strong as secreting Acid, Ashido was a shoe-in for the hero course.

Everyone began leaning forward as the bus pulled into the stop. The driver called out once they were fully stationary. As for the two of them, they were the last two to unload off the bus. Both were filled with emotion for the upcoming trial, one excitement, one unease. Naturally everyone made their way to the giant entryway to the testing grounds and waited for further instructions.

Just before they parted, Ashido stopped Midoriya.

"W-what is it Ashido-san?" There was fear in his gut, telling him he could still back out but he would push on. "Did you need t-to tell me something?" No matter what anyone said he had to do this. All Might trusted him to succeed.

Ashido smiled and looked up at the slightly taller teen. "Good luck Midori! We've got this!" Ashido pumped her fist in the air, as if making a one-sided agreement that he couldn't get out of, and now had to pass the exam. The fear he was feeling before began to come back stronger. "And call me Ashido, you're too formal!"

"Good luck as well, Ashido-sa-" She gave him a coarse look. "Ashido." His face flushed red at his lack of formality. Ashido's look became one of self-satisfaction, pleased with her effect on getting his addressing of her to change. Not a moment after she walked off was he approached by a sizably taller teen. It took a moment but Midoriya realized it was the same teen who'd called him out inside the lecture hall.

That'd been eight minutes ago.

Now?

Midoriya Izuku didn't know what he was thinking. One moment he was crawling away from the robot and suddenly he's running headlong into that thing! He'd seen that girl who'd levitated him earlier get trapped under the rubble and just acted! As terrified as he was, if there was ever a time to use All for One it was now! He clenched down and could feel the power coursing through his legs as well as under the soles of his feet. PushIng off as hard as he could he was rewarded with the sounds of the asphalt below shattering to pieces. Now airborne all he needed to do was punch.

Midoriya pushed as much energy into the attack as possible and aimed straight for the robot's head. He felt One For All coursing through his arm, making it's way to the front of his fist, ripping apart his sleeve in the process. Izuku screamed with everything he had and punched.

The blastwave from his punch was powerful enough that he was sent flying directly backwards and slightly upwards, his body spinning over and over with no control.

Down below, the applicant Uraraka -who he'd saved- had just gotten out from the pile of rubble. She watched as he was launched several test city blocks away. If he'd fallen straight down she might've been able to do something for him. She sighed, as it was now she could only hope he landed safely. She got up and looked for more enemies to defeat now, thanks to him. She'd make sure the instructors knew what he did for her though when this was over.

Midoriya finally slowed enough to where he stabilized and began his descent. He realized three things. One, he was falling fast and he was high up. Two, his right arm and both legs were bruised badly but still movable, though with extreme pain. Three, he was an idiot! It hurt! He couldn't even control his power yet! Why did he think he could take on that thing and come out alright!? He was going to die!

Midoriya suddenly landed on a white substance and immediately slowed down but didn't quite stop. The 'net' he fell in only managed to greatly slow his fall. The impact wasn't the worst pain he experienced today though, that was his arms and legs. Several seconds passed before he slowed down and he abruptly fell through the net. It wasn't solid?

"You gonna get up or just lay there? The exam's still going!" A hurried voice called out from a slight distance away.

Midoriya saw the girl who said that on the other side of the street fighting a robot. He could thank her later, what mattered was the exam was almost over and he still needed a point! While Midoriya's arm and legs were only barely able to move he didn't feel as much pain as he was expecting, just a light warmth. "If I could just get a point!" Using his left arm arm he began to drag himself towards the main area of the test slowly but surely. "Please, just... one... point!"

"THE TEST. IS. OVER!"

Midoriya's arm gave out from beneath him, no longer able to support his weight. He'd failed. He was given the chance to succeed and he blew it. Every chance had been given to him on a silver platter and he'd thrown it away. He didn't even score a point. What would he tell All Might? Would he choose another, better successor? Why was he so tired? He… needed to sleep. But sleep was not coming to him just yet. While Midoriya thought over his worries and the sudden onslaught of drowsiness his savior decided she'd satisfy her curiosity.

"Midoriya, were you the one who did that? I heard that from all the way over here! What did you do to that thing?" There was that upbeat voice again.

Midoriya looked up at his savior. At least it was someone he knew.

"H-hey Ashido-san. I g-got it?" Not only was Midoriya surprised that he'd successfully activated his quirk, but that he didn't kill himself doing it. This was the start of a life from a person who wasn't quirkless anymore. One For All was given to him and he could use it. Midoriya's mind was filled with new information to fill out about himself now. New utilities of One For All, drawbacks and all sorts of other things he had to think about now. Ashido even said he'd demolished the zero point robot and though he couldn't see it from where he was, it was still awe inspiring just to hear about what he did.

"I told you on the bus Ashido's fine, and yes you did, but that's ridiculous that you don't know." Ashido smirked as she said this, making it a point to deny his -to her- faked humble admission. After a couple of seconds she looked to where he'd come from. "Well for _just_ a punch that was awesome!" Fist pumping the air again, this girl was the personification of happiness. Ashido looked at Midoriya more thoroughly this time and, noticing his arm and legs, her smiled softened. "You look pretty beat up for one punch, let me help you up! Think you can walk back with some help?" Midoriya quickly nodded and, seeing this Ashido closed the distance between them and reached down. Picking him up by his good arm she helped him support his weight on her, not that he'd much of a choice.

"T-thank you, Ashido-san." If it weren't for his injuries causing him pain, Midoriya would've blushed as he began leaning on her. He'd never been good at talking to girls let alone being this close. They began walking back towards the main area, though it was more of her nearly carrying him than him actually using his legs to support himself. He could only barely move them, making their progress slow, that light warmth he felt earlier coming back to each leg every time he took a step. Wanting to rest his head he just looked at the ground, not liking the idea of straining his neck on top of the injuries he already had.

"I keep telling you, Ashido's fine." Ashido made a face that looked like she tasted something rotten when she said that, but after a moment continued. "Why are you so beat up then?" Ashido had taken the few moments picking him up to look him over. Midoriya looked far worse for wear now than on the bus earlier. His face was stained with asphalt and caked with a bit of dirt. All in all to her, he still looked pretty plain like this even compared to their previous meeting. His build wasn't bad looking either just plain as well, which wasn't a bad thing in the end to her. The muscles she could see on his sleeveless arms and pants were an indicator that he held himself to at least a decent workout routine.

"My quirk has a lot of consequences for using it. That's what you're seeing now. Doesn't matter now though." Midoriya thought back to the fact that he'd failed to get a single point.

"Why's that? Can't be a lack of effort!" Ashido grinned. She definitely liked asking questions.

"I-i didn't... get any points." Midoriya's voice gradually decreased in volume as he said this, his embarrassment showing in the moment how he felt about his current predicament.

"What do you mean you didn't? Midoriya, you pretty much deleted the biggest enemy here! Look!" She pointed towards the main area where he'd originally used his quirk.

Midoriya raised his head, wanting to see the fruits of his gifted quirk. What he saw was far more than he imagined. He'd expected to at least dent that monstrosity or maybe even topple it over if he was lucky. Instead when he looked up, what he saw actually terrified him. The upper three quarters of the robots head was totally obliterated, not dented and not toppled, just… gone. The only evidence that the head ever existed being the vast array of wires sticking upwards into the sky which were severed, frayed and connected to nothing. The rest of the construct fared no better, evidence of multiple explosions marring its surface, the blackened soot staining its' green armor plates.

"T-t-that was me?" While Midoriya knew that One For All was strong, to do this much damage in a single blow. He hadn't had time to look at the damage himself at the time since he was blasted back spinning head over heels from the blastwave. The reality the he wielded this much power was a sight to behold on its own right.

"Yep! You should've seen the explosion from here! It was huge! Luckily I was looking at the robot when you punched it or I would've missed you rocketing over here." She laughed, finding his general situation amusing. "You were flipping over and over! It was awesome! You're welcome by the way." She'd still tease him about it though. Not often did she have someone this easy to get a reaction out of.

"I already thanked you!"

"I know, but that's for me helping you walk back right now. This one's for saving you from falling." She had a good point.

"O-oh ok. T-thanks again Ashido-san."

"Ashido, and no problem." They were only about halfway back to where the main group of people were, and were just starting to make out each individual's silhouettes through all the smoke. "So what'll you do about your point problem? That can't be good."

"Don't know, I already failed the test and they don't give retakes so I guess that's that." Midoriya grew somber and sighed. At this point the aspirations he held dear were just too far out of reach even with One For All bestowed onto him.

"What if I gave you one of mine?" It was an innocent question and a reasonable response. It was one without any hint of teasing or malice. A genuine solution to his current situation. The sheer absurdity that she would actually be willing to do that surprised him still.

"Wait, h-hold up! A-are you serious?!" He couldn't believe this girl! They were direct competitors and yet she was willing to give one of her points to him to put him on the board! No one in their right mind would do that, she could fail because of it. They'd only just met earlier and yet she was already going this far for him. Just who was this girl?

"Why not? With that kind of power you can totally be a hero! A point shouldn't stop you and I have plenty. These robots were cake for me!" Thumbing herself in the chest with her free hand and smiling, Ashido looked like someone who'd completed a great feat of strength. "Not to mention I saved your hide! I'm pretty much a hero already!"

There was no one around to see the rescue except for her and himself, speaking of which. "Since your quirk i-is Acid how'd you save me anyways? And are you sure, we're direct competitors to get into U.A." Midoriya's voice rose slightly at the end, a small bit of hope detectable from her offer.

"Well I'm fine with trying to give you a point but..." Ashido laughed somewhat nervously. "I wasn't actually sure that I could pull off saving you when I made that neutral net." Midoriya blanched at this. She hadn't actually known whether or not making the sticky net would actually work. He'd unknowingly almost become paste! They paused for a moment as the realization hit Midoriya causing him to stop from a bout of nausea. Feeling better they began moving again and he changed topics back to his point situation, not wanting to think about his dual near-death experiences.

"T-thanks for saving me b-but I still fail the exam without any points." Midoriya wanted to believe otherwise would happen but this was the hard truth he needed to accept. "Even when you offer they might n-not accept it. It could be against the rules, w-we don't know." He want to pass, truly he did, but not if it put someone like Ashido at risk for getting in trouble or worse, failing, by offering up a point.

"I'll make sure you get at least a point from me." Even though she was still smiling, Ashido was resolute in her tone, no matter how carefree she sounded right now. It was the kind of tone that wouldn't budge until he gave in, of that much he was sure. "I did well enough during the exam so I'll be fine!"

They were closing in on the main area now which didn't give him a lot of time before they'd surely cart him to the medical ward. He needed to decide quickly. Accept and pass possibly because of someone else or refuse and fail for sure? "Alright, i-if you say so." Even heroes needed help sometimes, for him this was one of those times.

"Great! I'll go talk to them once we get you some help." Somehow Ashido's voice became even more upbeat with this proclamation.

"You two there, stop walking or your injuries will only get worse." A small woman who Midoriya recognized her as Recovery Girl made her way towards them. He didn't understand why she'd said to stop walking. He asked and she spoke simply to Ashido. "Stop supporting his weight for a moment." As she did Midoriya went nauseous from the pain while the warmth left his legs. It had only been a moment but he already felt burnt out from it and now Ashido was supporting even more of his weight after that demonstration. He tried recalling the warmth but nothing was happening as the pain continued. He grit his teeth hard as his eyes began watering.

"You're left leg and right arm are completely shattered. I don't know if it's your quirk or something else that's holding them together but you got lucky." Recovery Girl had Ashido continue holding up Midoriya as she extended and pressed her lips to the right side of his upper chest. After a brief freak out from the him she finished. The process was draining but other than his stamina being gone he'd be alright. Tired but much better feeling he took his arm off from Ashido.

"Thanks for the help Ashido-san." Midoriya began dusting himself off now that he could move independently again. Looking at his torn clothing, he knew they'd have to be thrown away with how much damage they took from his own attack.

"No problem!" Ashido gave a thumbs up as she walked off towards the entrance of the testing area. She turned around and yelled. "Don't worry about your points either!" He began to cough and sputter like he'd just eaten a bug or inhaled water. Did she really have to go a yell that out for everyone to hear?

Back to his current situation though, he needed answers. "If my arm and leg were broken that badly, then how was I able to not need Ashido to carry me over here? I shouldn't have even been capable of walking according to what you just said."

Recovery Girl sighed exasperatedly. That didn't mean she wouldn't answer his question. "More than likely with that freak punch of yours, it killed any nerve endings that you had so it didn't actually feel too bad. I still don't know what was holding your legs together though, it seems whatever it was stopped working once you stopped focusing on moving. What's your quirk again?"

Not wanting to reveal the One For All he simplified it down. "S-strength enhancement, ma'am." Because of how embarrassing it sounded he lowered his head and stared at the ground. Really he looked at anything but her, trying to avoid the look she'd give him for that answer.

"Right, well for someone who just punches things you sure managed to hurt yourself in the process. Make sure to take it easier or even I won't be able to keep you from taking permanent damage."

Her chastising of his carelessness made him feel even worse than he already did especially since she was speaking from a medical point of view. What hope did he have as a hero if he became a cripple. "Y-yes ma'am." Dejectedly he made his way to the entrance of the testing area as Ashido did a few minutes prior. He had a lot to think about now and that wasn't including his new quirk. The potential classmates seemed nice enough, if Ashido was any indication then hopefully it wouldn't be so bad. But was he ready to be a hero if he could only punch twice? Did he even pass? Though he knew that girl Ashido was going to try and give him a point he figured it was already a pipe dream. Resigning himself to worry about it once he got home he picked up his pace leaving.

* * *

All Might was staring at the screen because of what he'd just witnessed. Midoriya had run towards the zero point just as he thought he would, but when he jumped it wasn't by using One For All. Instead he'd used something completely different. All Might was expecting him to defeat it, that much was fact. He was sure its head would be crushed inwards and topple over. But Midoriya completely obliterated the head of the robot. There was nothing left where he struck as well as the robot exploding in several other places from the impact! The screen in front of him replaying the event that just occurred, constantly reaffirming his suspicions. As well as when he'd jumped, that punch he made wasn't with One For All either, so just what was it?

All Might knew that Midoriya was quirkless. The only way this could've happened though, was if he actually had a quirk. Unless… It had to be.

Dormancy.

That was what this implied. Something even rarer than just being totally quirkless, Dormancy affected a ridiculously small percentage of people, far less than the twenty percent that were unfortunate enough to be born without a quirk. And even more looked down upon. The quirkless, at least, were able to scrape by in life, hoping that their children might be able to inherit the quirk of their partner, if they happened to have one, but those who had Dormancy had no such luck. Worse, they could even prevent a child who would normally be born with a quirk to lose that genetic inheritance. Furthermore, manually activated quirks from genetic manipulation would always limit the quirk's abilities to only a fraction of its true potential as well as scar the genetic structure of the person, preventing them from passing on the activated quirk.

In history though, there were examples of people who had Dormancy finally being able to activate their innate abilities naturally and fully without restraint. These circumstances were almost legendary in their rarity, but they had an odd effect. One who would be born with a weak enhancement type quirk might instead be subject to receiving a quirk that let them move mountains. Dormancy affected the genetic structure of a quirk, changing and mutating it into something totally different than either parents input could possibly equal due to the sheer strength of the mutation. The side effect of all this was that, while inactive, the quirk's strength would be near unparalleled.

All Might needed to see what everyone else was thinking. Looking around he could already see that deliberations were under way. The room was nearly in an uproar with all sides taking part in the hot topic debate. No one side could gain any real ground since all points were technically correct.

"He obviously has the capability of offence and his hero spirit to save that female applicant is clearly what we're looking for. I say ten."

"Yes, but the damage he sustained was clearly a result from his own attack, he's like a child that's barely discovered his own quirk. I say six."

"What clearly matters here is that he has the spirit to save others and the power in his quirk to deliver that promise. He can always learn more while here."

"We aren't a daycare for kids barely getting their quirks. This is a school for the best and brightest future heroes."

"This discussion isn't as important in the long run so long as he learns what control he needs too here." A small figure standing at the front of the room exclaimed. "He's clearly intelligent enough to know his limits even if he did break them, and his spirit is certainly not lacking. Outside of that, does everyone have their judgements ready?" Everyone involved affirmed and raised a numbered card, showing how many points they allotted to the mystery applicant for the rescue. "Alright, now that that's settled and the test is over, why don't we all have some tea." Groans and complaints could be heard from everyone.

All Might didn't mind the tea but still excused himself due to the nature of the situation. What exactly had that boy done. It was definitely a quirk and an emitter type at that, but what kind? He had at least several hours before any results came out for the exam. He could only hope that the boy would realize what happened. Normally when someone activated their quirk it was an inherent knowledge, they just _knew_. This quirk should -in essence- work the same way and Midoriya was far more than smart enough to know what to look for. Both he and the boy had much to think about. His life just became far more interesting, and he had an interesting idea to try out. He just needed to speak with Nezu first.

* * *

It'd been about few hours since the end of the entrance exam and Midoriya had lost the will to go on. Everything pointed to the outcome that he'd completely and utterly failed it. On top of that something felt different with him and he didn't know if it was good or bad only that something changed within him. It was subtle enough where for the first hours after the test he hadn't noticed it. After that he'd felt it in his body like a whisper. He'd heard of what the signs felt like and what it pointed to but how it could've occurred baffled him. Midoriya didn't want to acknowledge it, his gut telling him that it'd disappear the moment he did. But the fact of the matter was that it was still there. Normally a person wouldn't lose their little toe joint, but then again, One For All wasn't a normal quirk either. So he'd gone to check anyways just to be sure, and that'd confirmed it.

He wasn't quirkless anymore. One For All truly was his quirk.

While he'd taken the test earlier that day, it was still somewhat bright out and Midoriya did the first thing that came to mind. He went to a public health clinic near his home and used the one guaranteed annual X-ray all residents were allotted. The way it was explained to him was that when his arm and leg broke, all the bones in them were completely shattered. Once healed they should take the form they were originally in because of DNA structure. When the resident doctor went over Midoriya's x-ray with him though, he couldn't focus. He was too busy staring at the X-ray sheet showing his little toe joint, or in this case, the lack of one.

His body had gotten rid of the joint in his little toe when he was healed by Recovery Girl. That settled everything. Merely nodding his head to the doctor as he finished a speech on the importance of daily health, Midoriya stood up and walked out of the clinic in a trance. Like a high-functioning sleepwalker he made his way home, the hint of a smile on his face.

Arriving at home just in time for supper, for the most part it passed by in a blur. His mother saw his downtrodden expression and took that as a opportunity to try cheering him up. "How was your exam? Everything go well?" Inko could only hope that it did. He'd been through enough hardship in his life being quirkless and not being able to fulfill his dream would break her heart. He was barely picking at his meal when he spoke, quiet and unsure but hopeful.

"I think… I think I failed the exam." Midoriya began eating more now, giving time for his mother to think about what he just said.

It didn't take long for her to realize exactly what he meant. His lack of confidence pulled at her heartstrings. "What… What do you mean? I know you've always wanted to be a hero but to say you've failed _now_? The results aren't for another week and we don't know how you scored. Are you sure you're alright Izuku?"

Inko's response was slightly expected, in any other situation Midoriya would've agreed with his mother except for the fact that he confirmed it earlier at the clinic. Deep down he knew she'd at least support the effort but since he took the exam her hope would be for nothing. He nodded. "Y-yeah, but something happened during the exam. I didn't get any points and just ended up getting saved myself." He smiled softly at his mother as he said this, the weight of what happened finally starting to hit him. "I wasn't ready for it mom." He looked back down at the meal and having finally said his piece he ate quietly. The sudden sound of sniffling from his mother caused him to look at her.

Inko stood up quickly and walked over to the other side of the table where he was sitting and hugged him tightly, her chin resting on his shoulder. She spoke softly and genuinely. "I doesn't matter, you've always been my hero." No matter what happened, Inko would always stand behind her son's dreams, motivating and supporting them even if she didn't expect him to make it as a hero. It was noble to see the effort he gave, though truly it was starting to wear on her as well, but she'd never tell him that.

First All Might saying he could be a hero, and now his mother. Those simple words of confidence meant the world to him. With everything going on it was all weighing on him greatly. He teared up as the two of them, son and mother stayed like that for just about half a minute. It exactly what he needed to hear from his mother, now more than ever.

Still though even with his new quirk, his exams -which were dependent on points- were most likely failed. At most he could apply through the remediation and general programs that existed, a far cry from being an actual hero. Midoriya's signature anxious attitude came around full force at this thought. Now was not the time for that however, all that mattered was that his mother believed in him to be able to succeed.

"Good night Izuku." She said more but he didn't hear it, instead only caring about what she spoke previously, the words hanging in his mind like a pleasant odor in the room. She let go of him and walked away from the table to her room and shut the door, turning in for the night. Instinctually Midoriya open his door and darted inside in an instant, closing it as he did so.

Sighing as he changed clothing to his pyjamas, Midoriya thought about everything that happened today. It unsettled him and excited him about what was going to happen with his life from now on. Everything came full circle now. His entire life he'd wanted to be a hero and life decided he'd never get that chance, at most he'd be able to give someone else that chance later on in his life. But All Might changed that for him. He'd given him the opportunity to retake the chance to become a hero and while he figured the exam was a failure, things would still be different now. He laid down in his bed and pulled up the All Might Limited Edition covers he'd gotten the year prior. Unfortunately the night passed slowly and unrestfully with nightmares of failure and quirklessness plaguing Midoriya's dreams. Everything that happened that day came to haunt him ruthlessly.

* * *

As the morning sun came up above the horizon Midoriya's alarm went off. With nothing to do he fell into his usual devices of eating, exercising, and researching heroes. Today looked to be the same as his weekends, being an indoor person and all. Around noon he prepared his lunch out of leftovers but still according to All Might's specifications. Finishing his meal, his phone rang loudly with the All Might laugh. He'd need to change that tonight. Removing it from his pocket he flipped it open and answered. It was an automated message.

" _Hello Yuuei Applicant Midoriya. Due to an unforeseen circumstance during your entry examination you are hereby required to report to the Yuuei Academy Headmaster's office by One. Failure to show without notifying Yuuei personnel will result in automatic termination of your application. Have a nice day!"_

Midoriya wondered what this could possible be about, nothing standing out except for what he'd call the zero point incident. He checked the time just to be sure he had some leeway to get there. Twelve Twenty-One. It'd take him about fifteen minutes to there which gave him just enough time to change. He ended up with a regular t-shirt and jeans seeing as he supposed this was strictly on a more casual basis. The subway ride was uneventful and passed without incident. It only took him several minutes to find the correct area by asking for directions.

Just in time he arrived at Twelve Fifty-Five. The two people who were already in there turned to face the door and greet him. Midoriya recognized that it was All Might and… Ashido?

"Hey Midori!" Ashido greeted him like they were old friends. Midoriya's face flushing at the nickname she decided to give him. "We get to talk with All Might, isn't that awesome!" Her face exuded pure excitement. While she was also trying to be a hero Midoriya doubted she followed All Might as much as he did. Though he guessed that anyone would be interested and excited to meet the Number One Hero on the planet.

Reminded that he still hadn't returned Ashido's greeting he flushed slightly. "H-hey Ashido-san." Even with the look she gave him Midoriya couldn't help but formally address her out of general habit. "Hello All Might-san." Taking a look at both them he saw All Might was in standard yellow pinstripe suit complete with blue tie. Ashido, for the third time in less than thirty seconds, made him flush again. She was wearing denim shorts that cut off mid-thigh and a black shirt cut off mid-stomach with the word Acid printed on it in white lettering. Both were standing in front of a plain but fancy looking wooden office desk.

"Midoriya my boy welcome to the Yuuei Headmaster's office!" The confidence in All Might's voice was almost tangible and garnered their attention. "As a teacher here now and a friend of his, he's letting me use the place for right now. Gives us three some privacy for what I'm going to be telling you two." With those words both Ashido and Midoriya quieted down, interested in what he had to say. "It's about your entry examinations and you saving that other applicant from the zero pointer."

"Midori, you never told me you'd been saving someone!" Ashido didn't sound angry, just somewhat confused now at the turn of events. "Who was it?" She looked like she wanted to say more but All Might interrupted her before she could continue.

"Now now young Ashido, we'll get there. If you must know it was another female applicant. Uraraka Ochako." Ashido looked slightly peeved, realizing that everyone but her in the room had known this. She kept quiet though, letting All Might move on. "I decided it was better if she came in earlier. She gives you her thanks Midoriya and wishes you a passing score." All Might laughed after he said this, the all consuming confidence once again coming to the forefront of his persona. "Now, for you two I've come to discuss the nature of how your points were distributed due to the incident with that very same zero point enemy." He walked around to the other side of the desk, facing them and placing both hands on it. They both took seats in the chairs opposite All Might with Ashido towards his left and Midoriya towards his right.

"Now as you both know the entry exam is decided based on points." He began slowly and both teens nodded. All Might reached below the desk, pulling out a Yuuei ID card with Ashido's picture and sliding it towards her. "Well Ashido you did just fine and passed." Unconsciously she grabbed it, the weight of the realization given her pause. When it dawned on Ashido that she'd made it into Yuuei, the number one Hero school on the planet, she couldn't help but smile even more brightly than she naturally would. She turned to Midoriya who smiled at her softly.

"Congratulations Ashido-san." She beamed at him and cheered lightly in her chair with unrestrained happiness. It was almost contagious with how free she was with her emotions. All Might coughed and her movement stopped, realizing that they still had one more of them to talk about.

While Midoriya was happy for her, he also expected this was where their conversation would turn for the worse. Still he asked. "All Might-san, w-what about me?"

"That's actually why we're here, Midoriya my boy." Ashido took a moment to look over at Midoriya, the teen stock stiff from anxiety. All Might's voice grew grim. "Unfortunately as you know my boy, you scored zero points and failed." She heard him cough and turned again to look at him. What she saw was him looking at the ground helplessly, trying to hold back tears from what he'd heard. She stood up abruptly and directed the best pleading look she could muster at All Might.

"Give him at least a point from me! That's in the rules right?" She was practically begging. They couldn't deny someone as strong as him because of bad luck! "I'll give him one of my points if it'll pass him!" Being that he was the first person at Yuuei that she met who didn't look at her oddly with how she first introduced herself, Ashido didn't want to see Midoriya fail. Especially from points of all things! All Might smacked the table lightly and pointed at her.

"That's exactly why you were called in here young Ashido!" All Might looked at Midoriya now. "You may not have scored any _villain_ points but your actions saved someone..." All Might motioned towards Ashido. "And spurred others into action from your spirit and actions as well!" His signature smile widened. "More than any type of quirk, what kind of school would we be if we didn't accept those with a capable spirit who take action when others are in need! The judges were looking for more than just smashing robots! Do you really think they'd reject an applicant for doing the right thing?" He raised his right hand and clenched it tightly into a fist. "That's what being a hero is all about, risking your life for others! I know it sounds cheesy but that's the way it is!"

"So we have rescue points, which are entirely about saving others!" All Might reached below the desk and pulled out another Yuuei ID card, this one with Midoriya's picture and slid it towards him. Midoriya picked it up, looking like he was picking up a legendary treasure. "Take your rescue points my boy, take all of them! All of the judges agreed! They all saw the foundations of a true hero in you!" He pulled out a sheet of paper and read from it. "Midoriya Izuku: Sixty Rescue Points! While we're at at, Ashido Mina: Forty Rescue Points!" All Might lowered the paper and looked directly at Midoriya. "You know what this means right?" Midoriya couldn't help but nod fervently, even as his eyes were already tearing up from what he was hearing.

"It means you passed kid, both of you! Yuuei's now your Hero Academia!" Walking around to their side of the desk All Might opened the door to the room. "Now get out of here, you have preparations to make before you two can attend!" Both Midoriya and Ashido smiled at each other and celebrated in their own way. Ashido jumping into the air in glee while Midoriya was content with wiping his teary eyes. Still riding their emotional highs from All Might's performance they walked out of the room. As Midoriya walked by however All Might stopped him, causing Ashido to turn around as she was the first out. "A moment Midoriya my boy?" He looked at Ashido, nodded that he'd be right back and walked back inside the room with her waiting until he was done. The moment he closed the door he quickly said one thing. "Meet me where we trained tonight at ten." Opening the door to let Midoriya back out he bade them both a proper farewell as they began walking away together.

Ashido couldn't help but ask. "What was that about? Seemed like, really ominous!" She made curious glance back at the headmaster's office where they just came from. She wondered what it was that only took so little time but required her to wait outside.

"A-ah it was nothing." Midoriya chuckled slightly nervously. "I just needed to sign an extra form because I was injured during the exam." He hoped she bought it.

"You'd think they'd have you sign everything before you took the exam. Just think if they didn't have Recovery Girl!" Relaxing a bit Midoriya had to agree with Ashido's second statement. A lot of what they could do was only because of Recovery Girl. Eventually they made their way to the school entrance after finding their way around the school once again. Before they parted ways Ashido put her hand on Midoriya's shoulder, stopping him and turning him towards her. "Hey Midori, since we're already here, want to pick up a coffee?" Ashido pulled out and waved around her newly acquired student ID card. "I hear there's a great coffee place near here that gives Yuuei students discounts! We can talk about what it'll be like at our hero school!" Though somewhat distracted by the thought of coffee, she still noticed how Midoriya burst red when she mentioned getting coffee together.

"O-ok, Ashido-san." Midoriya resisted the urge to bury his head in arms.

"Alright! Follow me!" Leading the way for several minutes in mutual silence Ashido brought the both of them to a quaint coffee shop about five minutes walking distance from the school grounds. Making sure this was the right coffee shop they both made their orders while getting the discounts in the process. Finding a table they sat down to wait. At most they only had a couple minutes before their drinks were ready.

"So A-Ashido." He'd need to get used to that. "Are you hoping f-for a particular homeroom class?" Midoriya was curious to know if Ashido had a preferred class for any reason. They did say someone's homeroom would determine a lot about them.

"Well if I had to pick one?" Ashido rested her chin on her hand for a moment, when she abruptly lifted it quickly. "I know, whichever you're in Midori!" She smiled gleefully at him.

Of all the answers Midoriya was expecting, this wasn't one of them. He was sure enough setting a new world record for how red a human could get without quirk assistance. This time he really did try for a moment to bury his head in his arms, to no avail. "Bu- Wha- W-why m-m-me? W-we just m-met!" Midoriya couldn't control the anxious stuttering caused by Ashido. He was sure she'd say something and leave with how awkward he was acting.

Instead of making a remark to his detriment she merely stated the truth she saw. "Well even though you get way too nervous around me, you're pretty good company to talk to, even if you blush too much! And besides, it'd be kinda nice to know someone when we all start getting to know each other." She grinned and each heard their respective drink called out for pickup. Just after they sat down Ashido's phone rang. Answering it she listened to the other side for a bit before she unexpectedly looked surprised. "No, really? Why do I have to come home _already!_ That's no fair I'm always taking care of them when you go out!" She pouted childishly at her phone but stopped when she realized she was with company. "Fine!" Ashido hung up but as she was pocketing her phone she realized something. "Oh! Since I have to go, give me your phone!" She reached out, her expectantly awaiting Midoriya's phone.

Not one to be rude he took a brief moment to take it out, unlock it, and hand it to her. Immediately she went to work on it and in less than thirty seconds she was already done.

"There!" Ashido stood up and handed Midoriya his phone back. "Now we can text each other! Already sent a text to my phone from yours to make it easier." She picked up her drink and took a sip. "Maybe I'll see you at Yuuei! Anyways cya' around Midori." Smiling still, she walked off and left the coffee shop, a light skip in her step at the taste of the coffee no doubt.

Taking the opportunity Midoriya checked the sent messages on his phone to see what she'd texted from his phone.

 _Hey Mina! Since this get together was a bust, want to take a rain check on it for another time?_

Midoriya flushed almost as red as during the question about Yuuei. Her contact info was saved as Mina. Now he was wondering just what he'd gotten himself into. Several minutes of over-thinking later, he followed Ashido's lead and stood while picking up his drink, sipping from it as he left the shop.

The rest of the day passed quickly, Midoriya had nothing to distract him from the coming conversation with All Might later that day and what it was about he was certain. One For All. The entire reason why he was getting into Yuuei Academy and was able to become a hero. Midoriya had gone from a quirkless nobody to a recognized Yuuei student in less than a year. If someone told him that back then, while he wouldn't have laughed at them, he certainly wouldn't have believed them either.

* * *

The time came for dinner with his mother, whom he talked with about the day's events. It took quite a while for her to stop crying as so much had happened, at least in her eyes. First he actually did get into Yuuei academy and then, at least to his mother, he's already making friends! Midoriya failed to mention how that friendship started, and that was with an abrupt and shy acceptance from him. Lastly he informed her that he was going out again to exercise and may be out late, that much she was used to. They finished dinner quietly and he performed the necessary chores of cleaning dishes and packing leftovers. Finally done he prepared for what he knew the conversation would go over and left to meet with All Might, getting there with relative quickness.

Making his way onto the now-clean beach he spotted All Might in his weaker form idly chatting with another person and ran up to them quickly. "All Might!" The professional hero spewed blood in surprise as both of the adults freaked out. Two people a distance away had heard his call out and were now looking unsuccessfully for the famed hero. Looking at the other adult for a second, All Might put his hand on Midoriya's shoulder and spoke quickly and quietly.

"Tell 'em you mistook me for someone else!"

Fervently the teen began waving at the couple to get their attention first. "I mistook him for someone else! Sorry!" Crisis averted, All Might sighed briefly and raised his hand above Midoriya. The teen high fived All Might as the other adult waited for their introduction.

"Congrats on passing." All Might's faced turn surprisingly serious. "But that's not what we're here to talk about though kid." Midoriya looked worrisome at the statement, not understand just what was being implied. The figure who'd been waiting to speak stepped forward while he introduced her.

"This is Ayame-san. Detective Hero: Private Eye."

She was wearing standard doctor's scrub's with her facemask down. Ayame, aside from a rather plain physique, had blonde hair similar in color to All Might's though hers was much longer. The most interesting thing however were her eyes. They were golden and weren't normal. Instead, they had what looked to be a shooting target of two black circles surrounding the pupil. All in all they were an intimidating sight to behold. She nodded a quick thank you to All Might. "Her quirk is Identification." Seeing his protege's confusion he continued. "It doesn't sound like much but if she takes a look at someone's blood she can identify the exact properties of their quirk. She's here as a favor to me, so I'm gonna need you to prick your finger." He thumbed towards the other hero. "She needs to identify your quirk kid." Midoriya grew even more confused.

"My quirk... but my quirk is One For All." His face grew anxious from his failure to understand what All Might was saying. "I even checked my toe at the clinic yesterday. I don't have my little toe joint anymore. That means I got the quirk right?" Midoriya's eyes were pained with hopelessness and loss. He didn't realize that quirklessness wasn't what All Might had meant. Stopping him before he could over think the situation All Might interrupted him.

"That's not-no, not exactly." Quickly the teen quieted down to listen to what he had to say. He turned to Ayame. "It's better if I let the expert explain this."

Ayame looked to Midoriya, making sure she had his full attention. "Midoriya, do you know what Dormancy is?" Midoriya was by no means slow on the uptake and knew what she was implying. His eyes spoke enough about what he knew for her to continue. "That's our point Midoriya, we believe that you are, or rather were, a carrier of a dormant quirk. You said it yourself that you no longer have your little toe joint. Normally, the carrier of One For All isn't affected by this, as All Might here still has his joint." The teen watched All Might as he nodded tersely. "I work for Medical Research in the Tokyo Police Department because of my quirk. All Might and I believe that when you gained One For All it allowed your dormant quirk to activate, restructuring itself and your DNA in the process, removing the need for your joint. If I see your blood we can be sure of that."

All Might took this moment to console the boy by placing his hand on his shoulder, seeing as Midoriya was apt to want to use One For All, which was turning into a bust. "Midoriya my boy." He began softly. "I know how much this meant to you to possess One For All. But, if this is anything even remotely close to what history has shown with dormant quirks activating, than you're about to be in for a surprise." All Might smiled down at his protege and pulled out a simple blood test kit that would prick his finger. "We just need to have her see your blood for a moment."

Midoriya took the kit from All Might's hands and grew serious as well. "Ok." Quickly unpackaging it he simply held the device to his right index finger and after a miniscule prick, a droplet of blood came out slowly.

Ayame got to work quickly and stepped forward up to him. Taking her own right index she swiped the droplet off of his finger and looked at it for a moment, her pupils dilating as she activated her quirk. Finishing up by wiping the blood into the sand briefly, her expression grew grim.

"Midoriya, do you recall the feeling when you activated your quirk?"

For a second, Midoriya paused, trying to come up with some sort of rational explanation. None came to him, so he used an analogy instead. "It was like an sun, you know-but like... cold but getting hotter and hotter-and with more and more energy!" Finally settling on the feeling he stopped.

"Good, take your right hand and recall that feeling, but try and keep it as cold as possible. All Might, you might want to change forms. We'll also want to go somewhere else." Following Ayame's instructions they walked down the coast for around five minutes, just enough to be away from any passerbys. "Remember Midoriya, recall that feeling only in your right hand. Start it off as cold as possible and after thirty seconds I want you to lightly tap All Might's left arm and push that 'heat' out of it. Do _not_ let the sun flare."

Doing as she said, Midoriya recalled the picture of a cold sun. Still alien to him, it felt like veins of ice spreading from his wrist into his hand. Each time they spread further they'd pulse and get hotter. After ten seconds it was noticeably warmer on his hand and rising. All Might changed forms to combat any problems that appeared. 'Cracks' began to appear on his hand, each one glowing a deep red. At twenty seconds Midoriya pushed as much of the 'heat' out of his hand and into the palm. As the thirty second mark ticked by he swiftly moved his hand and tapped All Might's shoulder while trying to push the 'heat' into the hero simultaneously.

The only one not pushed back by the burst of air was All Might himself. Both Ayame and Midoriya were pushed off their feet and a couple of steps away just from the air pressure. A pit in the sand had formed just in front of where All Might had been tapped.

The professional Hero merely laughed at what he'd witnessed.

After a minute or so for each of them to collect themselves Private Eye cleared her throat to discuss her findings. She needed a moment, since by her own admission, this was one hell of a powerful ability. Seeing what her own quirk had to say about it was one thing. Seeing it actually in use, that was another. What she had to say would impress one and surprise the other. The possibilities here were unexpected. She thought for a moment for a good name for it and was struck with a suitable one.

"Midoriya, your quirk, as titled by myself, is Molecular Shift." Making sure he was still focused on her and not his new quirk's name she pressed on. "You can energize the molecules inside of your body and those directly touching you, causing them to vibrate or 'shift'. Now on paper it doesn't seem like much, but let me explain. What it can actually do is something similar to One For All but in a different way. By energizing the molecules inside of your body you can exponentially amplify the energy and force behind any and all of your movements to a mathematically infinite degree." While All Might was clearly grasping the concept, she saw Midoriya was lacking. "The longer you energize your body the more force will be behind your movements meaning that as long as you keep it activated your attacks and speed will only grow stronger and faster." The sheer strength of a quirk like this, just how far could he take its limits?

"On top of this, since energy is at the base of all movements, the more you move while your quirk is active, the faster your body will become more powerful. Think of it as a force multiplier. Most of the power behind that demonstration was actually generated when you moved your hand to tap All Might here." The revelation dawned on him as to just how much of an increase in power that movement entailed, he'd only moved his hand about two feet in total. This wasn't even One For All, this was what his quirk had been from the beginning, just dormant.

What this implied was just… He had to speak up.

"W-Wait… S-so… I have an actual quirk of my own? On top of One For All?"

"Yes and no. One For All is the crystallization of power in a user and isn't active on its own anymore and instead has become a part of your quirk. On their own both can be extraordinary. Combine the two, and you've got something that is near unstoppable."

Reminded of what Ayame said Midoriya had to ask."That-That's a good thing then right? I-If I just keep moving during a rescue I'd be able to get to more people in less time, right?" It did cause at least a bit of amusement for All Might, that the first thought his protege had was on how he could start using his newly acquired quirk to start rescuing people. While his logic was technically sound he was missing a key piece of information.

"Not necessarily." Ayame warned. "Think back to that burst of air a couple of minutes ago. That was caused by the energy released from you being unable to forcefully push all of the energy you generated into All Might, who was strong enough to withstand it easily. While your attacks and movements would get stronger and faster by containing the energy in your body for longer periods of time, if your body isn't strong enough to withstand its own energy you'll start breaking bones or worse, completely tearing them off. Plus…. There is something else you should be aware of."

Izuku looked at Ayame. What else could be messing with him now?

"I'm not sure you can separate these abilities usage wise. They seem to have 'merged' together into one activation sequence. Normally you'd need to go through all of One For All's… Odd sequences, but Molecular Shift seems to have latched onto this, and activated in a similar way. Basically, you're using 'both' of these powers at the same time, whether you like it or not. That's not to say that they've merged into one quirk though. More than likely they're just operating in a type of symbiotic relationship with your quirk using One For All to amplify itself beyond its normal maximum capacity."

An idea popped into Izuku's head suddenly. One that, if it happened, could solve everything! "So what if I give you One For All back?" With what was just said he had to at least try. All Might could still be a hero if this worked!

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment Midoriya my boy I'll have to refuse your offer." He noticed the young teen's look of grief and reassured him. "It's not that I don't want to continue being a hero. It's just that… my time is ending." He sighed heavily, his voice becoming sincere. "You've seen my current form. I can't continue on like that forever, so I chose you to be the next symbol." All Might's tone went back to its original confidence. "Besides, you earned that fairly so it's yours to keep."

Ayame spoke what they were both thinking. "We also have no way of accurately predicting what would happen if you gave up One For All. It might leave you with just Molecular Shift and pass on correctly. It might also react violently, since your body's DNA and molecular structure haven't had time to adapt to the changes your quirk is making right now, and energize your body until you cataclysmically detonate. We just don't know. It's the first time this has every happened. For all intents and purposes as far as we know, you only have your quirk now."

And there Midoriya was, back at step one with no real way to control it.

No matter how he looked at it, the fact he'd been born totally quirkless was screwing him over here. His body just couldn't handle the instant changes having a quirk brought. Everything came full circle to kick him in the teeth when he was down.

"But, it's not like One For All where you merely need to get stronger. You can mitigate this by either not attacking, which I don't recommend, or making sure to first expel some of the energy outside your body before attacking, transferring all of that force into either the air or another object. Mind you if you go with the second option you'll 'weaken' since the molecules in your body will be less energized afterwards. If you go with the first option you'll also 'weaken' but you'll cause another air burst if any of the energy isn't inside of an object." Midoriya had so many things to consider now with his quirk.. Ayame spoke up again, grabbing his attention once more."Finally, you should be able to sustain the form longer if you spread it out as it'll take longer to energize more molecules. At the same time if you do that, you'll be able to attack more since it's spreading the force and energy over your entire body, at least until you get stronger and can sustain it for longer on individual limbs if needed."

Midoriya looked at his hand, not sure if to grin or to scowl. Now he had not only one quirk that he was actually born with, but it could literally tear him apart. Right now, he felt more like a time bomb than someone who was to start training to become a Hero. Could he really say that as he was now was an improvement?

It was a step up from being quirkless, sure… But if he couldn't use it, what the heck was he going to be good for?

"Relax." Ayame said, catching his attention. "If you keep it on the low, you should be okay. The main limiter here is your body, since you're not used to this. Figure it out, and you've got a quirk that'd make All Might here nervous. Just make sure that when you practice from now on you keep it as short and weak as possible then, very carefully, work your way up from there." Midoriya could use it after all!

Said Hero chuckled lightly as he was inclined to agree. "Even by itself the potential of the quirk you possess is far greater than anything achievable by One For All. With it? I don't want to be a villain with how strong you'll be." Midoriya looked up at him in near awe at what he'd just admitted. "For now my boy you need your rest. You're already on the path to becoming a hero so you can't falter now!"

Acknowledging his teacher's message loud and clear Midoriya thanked both of them and headed towards home, the smile on his face plain for all to see. With everything he'd learned today he was surprised that he wasn't floating. Behind him stood the two heroes, watching him as he made his way back to his family ready to begin a new and different, but exciting chapter in his life. Everything piled on to form a massive thought of what was to come and what Midoriya needed to prepare for.

Ayame spoke up first. "Toshinori, you know this means you can't teach him the way you wanted to right?" Without hesitation she heard a sigh from the other hero. "You're going to have to think more like your own teacher, Gran Torino."

All Might groaned, expecting this. "I know Ayame, I just hope I can do the kid justice. I don't have much time and this might make things more difficult or easier depending on how well he takes." He reverted back to his weaker form after all was said and done. "Kid's definitely got the potential and drive to be my successor and with a quirk like his supported by One For All he'll easily beat the best that I ever was in my prime. But, I need to make sure he's ready for it first."

* * *

The rest of the time before his first day of school fell into routine, with the added practice of his quirk training. That'd been a long talk with his mother when he told her. The fact that he could vibrate and energize the molecules in his body was definitely a strong quirk to have. But to be stronger on its own than One For All itself? He wouldn't have believed it had All Might not said it himself though.

" _Even by itself the potential of the quirk you possess is far greater than anything achievable by One For All. With it? I don't want to be a villain with how strong you'll be."_

Midoriya knew All Might wouldn't just say that, he truly meant it. With that thought in mind he resolved to become the Number One Hero one day. Before he knew it the first morning of school had arrived with all its tests and obstacles. He thought to the classes and theories, labs and training sessions. It'd be difficult by all means, but he was ready, at least he hoped. Eating a quick breakfast he couldn't help but feel a new sense of energy walking to the train station, his mind focused on solely one thing.

He had a hero school to attend.

* * *

 **More for my own improvement over anything else but I'll stick to the canon for the most part. I'll be taking some liberties with quirks and their utilities as well but not overdone. Have a good one, hope you enjoy it.**


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